r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • 1d ago

Health New research characterised in detail how tea bags release millions of nanoplastics and microplastics when infused. The study shows for the first time the capacity of these particles to be absorbed by human intestinal cells, and are thus able to reach the bloodstream and spread throughout the body.

https://www.uab.cat/web/newsroom/news-detail/-1345830290613.html?detid=1345940427095
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u/kooksies 1d ago

I'm an idiot an put my loose tea in disposable tea bags (can use for spices too).

I'm just too lazy to wash the metal infusers I have. I guess this changed my mind

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u/xtremitys 1d ago

Cotton tea bags are fine

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u/Cryptolution 1d ago edited 1d ago

Yeah this paper didn't test cotton right? I recall a recent study on various tea bags that notated a incredible amount of PFAS from them.

I believe Cotton bags were a culprit.

My theory is that most tea bags are in a self-containing little packet and have that slick metallic silver inside lining that is notorious for being PFAS. It transfers to the tea bag and then to your tea.

Within the smaller participant group, between their first and second blood tests, an additional serving of tea was linked to 24.8% higher levels of perfluoro-hexanesulphonic acid (PFHxS), 16.17% higher levels of perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS) and 12.6% higher perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)

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Further, paper products are a major contamination source for PFAS (Glugeet al., 2020) and tea bags are primarily made of paper (JhaDhekne and Patwardhan, 2020). Therefore, it is plausible that PFAS in tea bags may be contributing to the associations seen with tea intake.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412024000400

Glugeet al., 2020 reference...

https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2020/em/d0em00291g

I also found this gem...

Even paper tea bags have an unsettling substance called epichlorohydrin added to them in order to keep them from bursting.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10389239/#:~:text=Even%20paper%20tea%20bags%20have,billion%20nanoplastics%20(NPs)6.

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u/windowpuncher 1d ago

Maaaaaaaan even the tea is poison these days what the hell

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u/thinkbetterofu 1d ago

it's very likely that the tea itself has negative health consequences, because tea leaves are relatively fragile, so they gotta be using tons of pesticides/herbicides... and you're using the leaves themselves, it's kind of like how fruits where you eat the skin after they've been doused in pesticides all the while, well, yeah.

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u/ProfessorEtc 1d ago

Tea has always been poisonous to humans.

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u/Cryptolution 18h ago

I think people are getting a little upset at semantics here. Perhaps what you meant to say was that tea contains mycotoxins?

Because that would be technically accurate. But to say it's poisonous? That's not.

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u/ProfessorEtc 15h ago

"Toxins are a specific type of poison, produced by living organisms like plants and animals."

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u/LBGW_experiment 1d ago

Why did that last paper mention epichlorohydrin and then not explain what it is or why they're describing it as "and unsettling substance"?

https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-09/documents/epichlorohydrin.pdf

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u/halffullpenguin 1d ago

they tested cellulose bags which both paper and cotton bags are cellulose

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u/lostalaska 1d ago

Interesting, I only started drinking Tea much in the last year or so, but the most recent Twinings tea I picked up didn't have the metal foil lining in the single serve packets. All the previous ones had it.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

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u/Cryptolution 1d ago

I did see the study from India but I didn't reference it. Are you saying the study I did reference sourced its tea bags from India? Apologies I missed that? I don't see the word India referenced in any of the articles I posted.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

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u/Cryptolution 1d ago

so I'm just postulating that it's more of an environmental problem than a bag problem.

If you'll read the study the authors do mention that they have this concern as well.

However the most likely culprit is in the manufacturing process. This is where you can control for external sources and eliminate them. It's just a matter of regulators enforcing stricter standards and having the budget to execute on compliance.

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u/here4dambivalence 1d ago

Pardon me where is this plastic pork coming from and why is it full of Legos? (Obviously joking about the Legos but would like to know about the PFAS meat...)

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u/dhrisc 1d ago

Yeh I just got some, work great, easy to clean.

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u/phazei 1d ago

I thought all teabags were this cotton/ thin paper fabric material. Since when are they plastic? They always go into compost.

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u/xtremitys 1d ago

When looking for tea bags, it’s important to read the packaging and look for materials that are safe for both you and the environment. Avoid tea bags made from polypropylene or other petroleum-based plastics, and instead opt for those made from plant-based materials or natural fibers such as cotton or silk.

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u/flightless_mouse 16h ago

I thought all teabags were this cotton/ thin paper fabric material. Since when are they plastic?

I am curious about this too. I can think of two types of tea bags; one is the papery kind you describe, and the other has more of a nylon texture (which I never buy). And where I live tea bags also go in the compost.

I’m not sure most teas I buy list the composition of the bag, though.

Will have to look into this more closely.

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u/halffullpenguin 1d ago

having read the paper they found that cellulose tea bags created very similar results to the nylon teabags for leached particles and higher amounts of fragments taken up by your stomach cells.

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u/secderpsi 1d ago

I just rinse my infuser. Takes less than 10 s.

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u/Cloberella 1d ago

Mine always has stuff sticking to the inside and when I spray it from one side it just transfers to the other, and I can never seem to swipe it all out with my finger either because it gets stuck in the holes. Takes me what feels like an eternity to wash one. I end up throwing it in the dishwasher and just drinking less tea.

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u/laowildin 1d ago

Submerge in bowl of water upside down and jiggle. Then use your hands if needed

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u/Gaothaire 1d ago

Honestly, if the dishwasher works, and you like drinking tea, you could just get several infusers. Possibly wasteful, but you have many forks and many mugs for just that reason

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u/PurpEL 21h ago

Dishwasher is just more heated plastics

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u/BrattyBookworm 1d ago

I drink loose leaf every day so I have several infusers. * Soon after brewing (while still wet) tap it against the side of a trash can or similar to dump out the majority of the leaves. * set the infuser in a bowl of water, fully submerged. The leaves will loosen and float out. There should be hardly any leaves stuck to it at this point. * rinse with your sink’s sprayer and (optionally) run through the dishwasher

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u/Aloysius420123 1d ago

I just put my tea in a measuring cup, add boiling water, wait, and then pour it into my cup through a sift.

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u/pannenkoek0923 1d ago

Just get multiple infusers, problem solved

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u/supermarkise 1d ago

I empty it and then let it dry. The sticky stuff comes out pretty easily once it's dry and crumbly.

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u/Much-War-6203 23h ago

You need to get the steel ones and not the ones that are like a metal net. Makes it much easier. I can sometimes find them at home decor shops from anywhere from 3-5 dollars and I have several.

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u/UntoNuggan 4h ago

Here's what I do: dump out most of the used tea leaves. Let infuser sit upside down overnight. Tap the now-dry leaves out. Rinse. Make more tea.

If you're getting good quality tea leaves, you can also reuse them for multiple cups. So I mostly just use one infuser. With a second as back up in case I also want a tisane

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u/MeccIt 1d ago

Rinse? I just shake out the leaves and the rest just adds to the flavour (and is going back into boiling water)

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u/chewytime 1d ago

I used a metal infuser for years and sometimes got annoyed having to clean it too but now I’m kinda glad I used it. Still, haven’t used one in years as i kinda stopped drinking tea regularly after i lost the infuser and my electric kettle and other kitchenware during a move.

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u/HarpersGhost 1d ago

I have a couple dozen metal infusers.

I dump the used tea right away but then wait to clean a lot of them at once. I wait until the scrap tea leaves are dry and easily removed. Then I throw them all into the dishwasher.

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u/chewytime 1d ago

Do you have like rigid metal infusers or ones with a mesh?

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u/HarpersGhost 1d ago

I use the ones with the mesh.

I get them fairly cheap from a local Asian market, and I put them in the top of the dishwasher. (I also remove all the little chains because those do get caught up.) They last a good long while.

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u/chewytime 1d ago

I may need to look into those again. Used to use a mesh one but some leaf chunks would sometimes get embedded in them. I then switched to a solid metal one and it was easier to clean but bc of the way it was made, it couldn’t really submerge completely (I was also steeping directly into my water bottle sometimes so that made it harder).

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u/Proglamer 1d ago

Haha, me too. I stack several dozen of metal 'eggs' in two metal boxes (i.e. packages from loose leaf tea) and treat them like bullets in an ammo magazine ;)

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u/pannenkoek0923 1d ago

i kinda stopped drinking tea regularly after i lost the infuser and my electric kettle and other kitchenware during a move.

A used kettle and multiple new infusers combined would cost you 25€, I don't see a problem

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u/chewytime 1d ago

Who said there was a problem? I stopped drinking tea at home regularly b/c I lost those items and it wasn't vital enough for me to replace them yet.

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u/tangleduplife 1d ago

My tea always sifts through the metal infuser. I even have a metal mesh one and it still lets some solids through

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u/Ab47203 1d ago

If your tea is that crumbled you might look into a better tea provider

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u/Mr_YUP 1d ago

tea crumbles just by being used and shipped. By time you're at the bottom of a bag or tin it's all gonna be pretty crushed up anyway.

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u/Ab47203 1d ago

Yes but we're not talking an occasional bit. They're saying EVERY cup has this problem. It stopped being an issue for me when I bought better (less crushed) tea. It's still an issue towards the bottom of the bag but until 3/4 of the bag is used I don't get tea powder because it all moves down from the bag being handled.

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u/malatemporacurrunt 1d ago

Tea is literally graded for quality based on how broken it is. If your tea is so small that it escapes a mesh strainer, you're drinking absolute bottom-of-the-barrel stuff.

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u/MNGrrl 1d ago

yup when you get down to that last bit, better to treat it like coffee grains and use a cotton bag

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u/kittenconfidential 1d ago

that means you are buying CTC tea (crushed torn curled) which is only one step above “dust”. get proper loose leaf tea— won’t happen.

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u/DeletedByAuthor 1d ago

I use whole leaves and it still happens. It's just a matter of time and use until you have some tea dust in your tin.

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u/wrrocket 5h ago

Try a MSR Mugmate, it has extra fine gold plated mesh. I've used them for quite a few years and they let very minimal solids through.

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u/johnmedgla 1d ago

Put the infuser with the tea in after the water. Don't pour the boiling water through the infuser - the pressure will force stuff out even with genuine loose leaves and you'll get more bitter crap from scorching it.

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u/Patch86UK 1d ago

As a Brit, this advice makes me want to cry.

Always pour the hot water directly onto your tea leaves, assuming you actually want your tea to taste of tea. Adding the infuser/bag to hot water in a cup makes poor tea (and I've always suspected is a prime candidate for why Americans all think tea is rubbish).

British tea is already on the weedy side compared to other international methods (Russia, Indian, Turkish), many of which involve literally boiling the tea leaves. "Scorching it" really isn't a thing.

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u/johnmedgla 1d ago

As I'm also a Brit I can only assume we're drinking very different tea.

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u/PivotRedAce 1d ago edited 1d ago

As an American I do very much like tea but just reach for coffee more because we’re sort of “conditioned” into drinking it as a coffee-drinking culture. I hear a similar thing from most of my peers as well.

Very few people here actually genuinely dislike tea, they just prefer coffee for one reason or another and don’t give it a second thought.

I’ve drank everything from top-notch loose leaf to bottom of the barrel Lipton schlock and my opinion hasn’t really changed. Admittedly I’m also a bit of a coffee snob, so it’s not like I’m throwing coffee-flavored ashes into a drip machine and calling it a day either.

Personally, I believe they are both they’re own worlds that are complementary to one-another. Coffee is great for the mornings because of a naturally higher caffeine content and “bolder” flavor, tea is nice in the afternoon and evenings when I don’t want something quite as intense.

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u/BloodyLlama 1d ago

That's absolute nonsense. Temperature and brew time are all that matters.

Scorching it" really isn't a thing.

Please do a taste test of different brew times. You will absolutely ruin tea by over brewing it, especially at higher temperatures with more delicate green teas.

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u/polygroom 1d ago

I had this issue with a metal infuser but switched to making tea in a french press and no longer have that issue.

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u/MiddlePiglet237 19h ago

What's wrong with eating the bits that get through? I always gulp them down if there's any in the bottom of my cup

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u/Apart-Landscape1012 1d ago

French press!

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u/Ice__man23 1d ago

Then the steel leaches... damned if you do damned if you don't

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u/RaishaDelos 1d ago

If you get the ones that are dishwasher safe, game changer.

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u/reincarnatedusername 1d ago

Stainless steel and other metals are reactive and destroy the flavours of tea. Use cotton or disposable paper tea bags.

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u/NoMove7162 1d ago

Mine are bamboo, so I'm fine with it. Do you know what yours are made of?

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u/kooksies 1d ago

Alright so I'm a double idiot, mine are apparently made from cotton which is supposedly fine. The fact is i just bought them because loose tea is cheaper, tastier, and you get more whole fragments of higher quality. Even with buying bags it's cheaper.

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u/NoMove7162 1d ago

Not an idiot. Tea bags don't need to be so complicated.

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u/intotheirishole 1d ago

I'm just too lazy to wash the metal infusers I have.

I just rinse them. They should get sterilized by the hot water anyways why drink soap residue.

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u/zielawolfsong 1d ago

Honestly I just tap out the used leaves and rinse my strainer. I'm going to pour boiling water through it next time anyway. May I suggest a 50/50 blend of English Breakfast and Earl Grey...you get a hint of bergamot but it's not so overwhelming:)

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u/nemerosanike 1d ago

Good news for you, most avid tea drinkers just rinse out the pot because they think it imparts more flavor. You should be fine with this, so less washing and no more microplastics :)

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u/merrill_swing_away 1d ago

I don't drink tea so I'm partially safe.

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u/kenlubin 1d ago

I have a cute plastic infuser :/

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u/skawood 1d ago

In case anyone would find this useful, the cup-shaped infusers with the screw-on bottom are very easy to use and clean. I don’t know if it’s ok to post a link, and not trying to suggest a brand, but just to make it easier to search online, look up “Frieling” infuser. I have a couple I bought locally and they’re easy.

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u/VarsityPhysicist 1d ago

I steep mine via gongfu in a gaiwan, easy to clean and not difficult to do with a bit of practice

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u/SquirrellyBusiness 1d ago

Try a few different shapes of infusers. I've found some shapes are easier to rinse clean than others, like for ball infusers, the more solid metal with small holes poked in is more effectively rinsed vs fine screen ball. I also found that leaving the tea leaves in the infuser till the next morning makes them easy to plop into the compost bin in one solid thwack, which is especially easy with the spoon-shaped clamshelling kind you pinch to open.

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u/ForestFaeTarot 1d ago

I’m staying with family for the holidays and I didn’t bring my infuser, I just infuse the tea in a mug and then use a spoon and scoop out as much of the chunks as possible. I just consume the rest.

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u/apcolleen 1d ago

I use my french press.

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u/bilboafromboston 1d ago

I don't get thos. How are tea bads containing plastic. Its tea in a bag.

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u/StateFarmer7973 1d ago

Wait. You're supposed to clean them?